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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rash — a series
  10. band — a ring
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. band — a music group
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. shower — rain
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — low music
  19. branch — a division
  20. shower — to wash
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. rash — hasty
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com